Adobe Animate is a 2D animation software for making animations and games Social media banners. If it moves, you can make it to an online audience.
You can download Adobe Animate for free on a 7-day free trial. the Graphic design software Also available for purchase as part of a creative cloud Subscription, with a wide range of packages, prices and payment schedules.
We’re looking at how to download Adobe Animate for free on a trial, all the subscription plans and discounts you can take advantage of, how to get started with animation, and what Adobe Animate alternatives will also help you breathe life into your creations.
Today’s best Adobe Animate deals
How to download Adobe Animate
Can I download Adobe Animate for free?
You can download Adobe Animate for free on a 7-day free trial by clicking here (Opens in a new tab).
Head to the site and click Free trial. You will be given the option to try Animate on its own or try the Creative Cloud All Apps bundle. You can try out all the features during the trial period and decide if the animation software hits your creative spot.
When you sign up for the trial version, you have to provide your payment details to Adobe, and when the trial version expires, the paid subscription starts automatically. If you don’t want to commit to a subscription, you can avoid this by canceling before the trial period ends – be sure to do this if you don’t want to end up paying a cancellation fee.
Once the seven days are up, there’s no way to continue using Animate for free, so you’ll need to look into the payment plans offered.
How do I purchase Adobe Animate?
Adobe Animate is not available for direct purchase (known as a lifetime license). You can only “rent” the software as part of a subscription plan. It’s the same for most Adobe products.
You can subscribe to Animate as a standalone app or as part of a Creative Cloud All Apps plan. All Apps brings together the motion graphics app along with more than 20 other tools, including After Effects (the industry’s favorite VFX software) and Premiere Pro, the company’s top video editing software.
If you work across media or use three or more of the included apps, the All Apps bundle may prove to be a cost-effective option for you.
How much does Adobe Animate cost?
Adobe animation software comes with multiple price tags depending on the plan you choose and payment frequency. The app is available on its own or as part of a Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, with three plans: monthly, annually billed monthly, and annually up front.
Adobe Animate subscription pricing
Monthly: $31.49 / £30.34 / $45.99
Annually billed per month: $20.99 / £19.97 / $29.99
Annual advance: $239.88 / £238.42 / AU$343.07
Adobe Animate + Creative Cloud All Apps subscription pricing
Monthly: $79.49 / £75.85 / AU$114.99
Annually billed per month: $52.99 / £49.94 / AU$76.99
Annual advance: $599.88 / £596.33 / AU$871.07
Note: While these prices are correct at the time of writing, prices outside the US fluctuate regularly with exchange rates. All subscriptions can be canceled with a full refund within the first 14 days.
Are there Adobe Animate discounts for educators and students?
Adobe offers an educational discount scheme through which students and teachers can sign up for the Creative Cloud All Apps bundle, which includes 3D modeling, Adobe Dimension software for working in 3D space, and 100GB of cloud storage at a discount. You will need to provide proof that you are a student or teacher, such as an email address issued by the school.
Prices go up after the first year. So make sure you can run the software on any student laptop.
Adobe Animate pricing for students and educators
Annually billed per month: $19.99 / £16.24 / AU$21.99 per month for the first year, $29.99 / £25.28 / AU$43.99 per month thereafter.
Annual advance: $239.88 / £238.42 / AU$343.07
How do I get started with Adobe Animate?
The downside to Animate being such a versatile and powerful program is that it has a steep learning curve. If you’re struggling to get a grip on it, you’ll want to check out a Tutorials (Opens in a new tab) on the Adobe website. There are written guides and videos, and they are divided into two sections for beginners and experienced, so you can learn the basics first before moving on to more advanced skills.
Adobe Animate: the essential information you need to know
Adobe Animate is Adobe’s premier 2D animation software, used by many professionals for TV animation, web series, game development, and more. It has a long history, starting in 1996 as FutureSplash Animator before evolving into Macromedia Flash, Adobe Flash Professional and finally Adobe Animate.
The current version is called Adobe Animate 2021 and is available for Windows PCs with Windows 10 version 1703 or later and Macs with macOS 10.12 or later.
Adobe Animate: Android and iOS apps
Adobe Animate is a desktop-only application, and since it is such a complex piece of software, it is unlikely that Adobe would develop a mobile version of it.
However, if your needs are simple, you can use Adobe Express on desktop and mobile. The platform includes a free logo maker and an online Adobe Express video editor, among other tools. But for real animation, Adobe offers no Animate alternative for Android and iOS.
Adobe Animate alternatives
If you decide Adobe Animate isn’t the option for you, there are plenty of alternatives out there.
Open Tunes (Opens in a new tab) It is free animation software for Windows and Mac. The open source software is packed with features and is the software used by Studio Ghibli for their highly acclaimed feature films.
harmony (Opens in a new tab), from the Toon Booms Company, is also used by industry leaders, in this case such as Cartoon Network and Universal. It costs a little more than Adobe Animate, and it comes with basic, advanced, and premium versions.
Animation office (Opens in a new tab) It is a good alternative to Animate for Android and iOS. This animation app allows you to draw on your tablet and turn these drawings into cartoon frames.